About Us
About Us
What we do and how we help
APPELLATE COUNSEL TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Michael H. Zhu, Esq. PC is a sophisticated law firm in New York that specializes in assisting trial counsel and individuals in preparing substantive summary judgment motions, post-trial motions and appeals.
Our firm is well qualified to offer experienced analysis of the merits of a potential substantive motion or appeal.
With over 25 years of experience, Michael Zhu has litigated a wide range of cases involving personal injury litigation (medical malpractice, labor law/construction accidents, products liability, premises liability, municipal liability, and nursing home liability); primary and excess insurance coverage and subrogation; professional malpractice (legal, architectural, engineering, and broker malfeasance); commercial litigation (breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty) and other forms of complex litigation, from their inception through the appellate process.
We also provide quality appellate printing service with competitive pricing for preparing, filing, printing and serving appeals in any state or federal appellate court.
Parties and trial attorneys alike are encouraged to contact Michael H. Zhu, Esq. PC. to schedule a consultation.
PUTTING CLIENTS FIRST
At Michael H. Zhu Esq. PC., clients can expect personal attention and prompt, direct contact at any time with the lawyer who is responsible for their case and familiar with its facts. We are readily accessible and responsive to clients’ needs, and manage cases and offer services in an assertive and cost-effective manner.
Whether you are defending a final judgment or appealing a court's decision, contact Michael H. Zhu Esq. PC. for professional assistance and guidance in preparing your next summary judgment, post-trial motion or appeal.
Why you need an appellate lawyer
As an experienced appellate attorney who works with many individual clients, Michael Zhu was often asked at first —why do I need to hire you as an appellate attorney, when I have a perfectly good attorney already who handles my case?
The reason is simple—you would not go to see a cardiologist for your back pain, would you? In the legal profession, as in the medical profession, there are attorneys who focus on certain areas of practice and have honed their skills through years of experience.
An appellate attorney has the keen ability to persuade an entire panel of judges and rely mostly on written briefs that emphasize detailed analysis of the applicable law and the trial testimony. Appellate briefs are well-established as the most important aspect of a party's presentation on appeal. Most attorney dread the idea of having to read through a record on appeal and write a lengthy and complex appellate brief, and many lawyers, truth be told, are simply not very good writers. Hiring appellate counsel brings the right skills to the case, along with the fresh perspective of a lawyer who is not emotionally tied to the case.
Trials and appeals require lawyers with different skills. Litigants should not presume that their original trial counsel knows the case best and is competent to handle an appeal. After a trial or a motion that dismisses an action, the losing party often has too much at stake, emotionally or financially, to let the verdict or result stand unchallenged. The litigant often charges ahead with an appeal from the order or judgment. However, many litigants do not fully understand how different an appeal is from a trial. They may also underestimate the differences between trial lawyers and appellate lawyers. These differences may be overlooked when inexperienced litigants launch an appeal.
In our jurisprudence, it is generally recognized that an appellate lawyer must possess the ability to think about legal issues from the perspective of judges who serve on appellate courts. Appellate courts do not just decide the issues in the case before them, but will often tailor their decisions on a forward-thinking basis and create precedents that will govern cases in the future. Therefore, an appellate attorney’s most important job is to recognize not only of how existing precedent will affect an appellate court's view of a newly filed appeal, but also about how the precedent created in the course of deciding the new case will affect the future direction of the law.
Another benefit from getting a fresh set of eyes involved at the appellate stage is that sometimes the trial attorney, after a hard-fought trial, has a hard time seeing the forest for the trees and may be clouded by emotions to view the issues, and their strengths and weaknesses, with the necessary detachment and objectivity. An appellate attorney may be especially well-suited to explain the facts and legal issues involved in an appeal to appellate judges who, similarly, lack any extensive pre-existing knowledge about that given case.
Lastly, most litigants – indeed, most trial lawyers – have little experience in the appellate courts. Thus, a litigant would be well advised to consult with an appellate attorney when they are thrown into an appeal, or defending against an appeal.
Individuals and attorneys alike are encouraged to contact Michael H. Zhu Esq. PC to discuss how you can avoid the common mistakes that can send an appeal down the wrong path in the appellate maze.
